A Tallahassee Commitment

May 5, 1985

Amid deciding how to stop abuses by local governments, legislators have shown they're serious about guiding statewide growth. Last week the House unanimously approved a plan that sets a vision for Florida during the next 10 years. A similar proposal is successfully winding its way through the Senate. The plan would give Florida a set of goals to live by, addressing everything from cleaning up lakes to improving schools. Yes, the proposals can be improved. The Senate needs to drop its insistence that the Legislature must approve every detail about how the plan is carried out. But right now the important thing is that legislators are making a commitment to making Florida one of the best, rather than just one of the biggest.

In the next few weeks legislators will be casting the votes that count on managing growth. Orlando area legislators can make a big difference in what happens. The fate of growth bills in the Senate will depend heavily on Orlando's George Stuart, who is chairman of the Natural Resources Committee. In the House, the key committee on growth includes Reps. Tom Drage and Dan Webster of Orange County and Irlo Bronson of Osceola County. Orlando area residents also can make a big difference. They can let their representatives know that they too care about Florida's future. Here is a list of Orlando area legislators: